"Blessings arrive unexpectedly and can cause emotional distress"

As unemployment figures continue to rise and even the most optimistic of analysts predicts little improvement in the immediate future, many people have lost hope, writes Daniel Boxill, 22, from Bridgetown, Barbados.

Blessings are wonderful. Some believe them to be acts of providence or simply luck. Whatever the belief, blessings usually indicate a positive change in fortunes for a person. One would expect, therefore, that when I received my blessings one beautiful afternoon, that I would have been pleased.

However in Bajan (Barbadian dialect) “to get blessed” refers to the act of being defecated upon by a bird. The warm, green and white blessing decorated my arm, pants, guitar case and Coke bottle, complementing my favourite green shirt.

At that point, it just seemed like the crowning moment of an extremely frustrating day. Hours later however, in the safety of my home (and after a good scrub down), I reflected on my blessing.

Life is full of these blessings. They come in all kinds of flavours but one thing they have in common is that they are seldom truly appreciated at the moment they arrive. They arrive unexpectedly and often cause emotional distress, elevated heart rates and blood pressures and retaliation in the form of well aimed shots of expletives.

But we all need these blessings. For example, they fertilise the earth and many plants depend on them for spreading their seeds. Contained in this waste matter is a hope for new life for, hope for a future, hope in the most unlikely of places. Hope is something most of us definitely need in these uncertain and challenging times. As unemployment figures continue to rise and even the most optimistic of economists predicts very little improvement in the immediate future, hope is all some have left. Many people don’t even have that much.

The economic fiasco the world has faced has cost too many people their jobs, houses, relationships and all of their material possessions. Even those who’ve managed to keep a job are often doing so with reduced hours and are barely hanging on to what they have. Even so, material possessions mean very little when you can’t eat.

I believe we are all blessed no matter our situation or how little we have. I also believe we are more blessed by blessing others. Be charitable and help others out in whatever way you can. If you can’t afford to give financially donate your self and your time. Sharing and being there for others will go a long way and be a lot more beneficial to persons than waiting for our governments to wade through their bureaucracy and political tribalism to sort out the economy. Solutions should always begin with oneself. Waiting on others and expecting them to solve our problems may leave us forever waiting.

I was ready to give up, waiting on others to solve my problems for me. This blessing reminded me I have the power to change my fate and that I truly am blessed. If I ever encounter the bird again, I’ll be sure to thank him but I’ll make sure I have an umbrella this time.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?